Cash-register



2 Sheets-.-Sheet 1.

(ModeL) W. G. VAJEN.

CASH REGISTER.

,692. Patented July 19, 1881..

N. PETERS. Phmoinhogravlwr. Winhmgloll n. c.

2 Sheets8heet 2.

(ModeL) W. O. VAJEN.

CASH REGISTER.

No. 244,692. Patented July 19, 1881 Illiilil'liiiiIi/iiiiI/Tq N. PETERS. Phow-Lnhammwr. Washmglvll. D. c.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS G. VAJEN, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

Y CASH-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,692, dated July 19, 1881.

Application filed May 21, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS (J. VAJEN, of the city of Indianapolis, county of Marion,and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cash-Registers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of devices used principally in mercantile establishments, which are designed to receive cards or tickets, upon each of which is inscribed the amount of a sale, and sustain them severally in position, so that the cashier may return the correct change to the salesman without the necessity of any verbal communication between them, and then, by means of mechanism attached thereto, drop the said check or ticket into areceptacle below, where it serves as a sales or cash register, the aggregate amount indicated by said tickets being presumably equal to the amount of cash in the drawer at any time when the two are compared, as at the close of the days business.

It consists of a new and improved construction and arrangement of parts,the frame-work being of especially desirable form, so as to be quickly and easily put together or taken apart, and of compact and substantial design, besides being of handsome appearance. The mechanism is simple and efficient, and the device, as a whole, accomplishes the purposes stated in the simplest and most expeditious manner.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof, and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure 1 is aperspective view of two of my registers arranged to work in conjunction with eachother and in the manner which I prefer; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section of a single register on the dotted line 00 a: in

- Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section on (Model) ted line w w in Fig. 7, the register being turned bottom upward, as in Fig. 6.

In said drawings the portions marked A represent the top of the desk or counter on which the register is mounted, on which is, preferably, a glass top or shelf, A; B, adrawer beneath said top to receive the checks or tickets as they are precipitated from above; 0 D E F, the four vertical portions, respectively, of the frame-work of the receiving-chamber of the device, constructed as hereinafter specified; G H, the sides of said receiving-chamber, which are constructed of glass or some other transparent material; I, the top of said chamber, constructed, preferably, in the form of a hopper, and having an orifice through which the checks are admitted J, a trippingbottom to said chamber, which sustains the checks temporarily until it is desired to precipitate them into the drawer; K, a link connecting said bottom to the lever by which it is operated; L, said lever; M, a button by means of which said lever is forced downwardly; N, a spring by which said lever is forced upwardly into the position shown by the drawings, and held there until a greater force is applied to the button M 0, an end plate, which, with the plate or part 0, forms an inclosed space in which the lever L and connections are situated; I, one of the cards or checks used in connection with my device; and Q, a ledge or flange on the parts 0,1), E, and F, which holds the glass A in place and prevents the rough edges thereof from showing where it is cut out around said parts.

The partA is intended to be simply the top of a common desk or counter, such as is usually arranged for the cashier of a mercantile establishment, and the parts composing the receiving-chamber, 850., are intended to be secured thereto by screws which pass up through it and enter the holes a in said parts.

The drawer 13 does not differ materially from the ordinary construction.- It should enter the desk or counter from the outside, and it is intended that it shall be locked, and that the key thereto shall be in the hands of the proprietor or book-keeper, or some other person than the cashier or salesman, so that they shall have no access thereto.

The portion (J of the frame-work is in the general form of a plate, and serves both as one end of the receiving-chamber and as one end and a surrounding edge of the space in which the lever L, 850., are situated. It is provided on its face with grooves c 0 c c and projections 0 c 0 with which the side frames, D F, and glass sides G H interlock, and whereby they are held in place. Screws 0 c 0 pass through this plate and enter lugs 71* d j' on the parts D, F, and I. Projections c and c are provided, into which screws 0 0 from the outside pass. 7

The side frame, D, is in the form of a sash. It is provided with projecting edges d d (1 the first of which, d, enters the groove 0 in the portion O, the second, (1 rests inside the flange i on the top I, and the third, (1 projects alongside the end piece, E, and assists to hold the latter in place. It also has a ledge, (1 upon which the lower edge of the glass G rests. It is further provided with lugs d (i into which the screws 0 and 0 enter.

The portion E is simply an end plate to the receiving-chamber. It rests in grooves in the ends of the frames D and F, of which the flanges or projecting edges (i and f form a part. Itis provided with screw-holes, through which the screws 0, 0 and 0 pass and enter the lugs '5 d, and f on the hopper I and the side frames, D and F. It also has ribs 0 and e on its inner face, which hold the correspon ding ends of the glass sides G H in place.

The frame F is similar to the frame D, and is connected to the other portions of the framework in like manner by the projecting edges f, f'", and f and lugs f and f It also has a ledge, f upon which the lower edge of the glass H rests, and a lug, in which is a bearing for the gudgeon 9' of thetripping-bottom J.

The glass sides G and H are held in place by the various ledges, ribs, and grooves arranged for that purpose, as shown. It is important that these sides be near together and substantially vertical, so as to sustain the checks in such position as to be easily seen from both sides.

The hopper I is formed in the most suitable shape for its purpose. It has flanges t" i on its sides, which serve as a part of the means of holding the side frames, D F, in place. It has also the downwardly-projecting lugs 11 6*, into which the screws 0 and 0 enter, bywhich the plates E and O are secured thereto, as shown.

The tripping-bottom J extends under the ledges which support the glass sides G H, as is most plainly shown in Figs. 3 and 7, so that no edge shall be left exposed on which the checks would be liable to catch in their descent. The ledge f is formed at am gher point than the ledge (1 in order to give said tripping-bottom an inclined position. Said bottom has gndgeons j one of which, j, rests in a bearing in the plate 0, and the other, j in a bearing in the projection f on the frame F. It also has a gudgeon-like pin, 9' which passes through a hole in the link K, and whereby it is operated. A suitable opening, 0 is provided in the plate 0 to allow this pin to move freely. This bottom being set at an angle with the lower side toward the cashier, assists that personage materially in reading the inscription on the checks placed in the transparent receiving chamber, as such position causes said checks to lean backward, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the face side thereof shall be at something of an angle upward, and therefore more directly toward the cashiers vision.

The link K forms a connection between the tripping-bottom J and the lever L, being attached to the one by means of the pin j and to the other by the pin or rivet k. The lever L is pivoted to the plate 0 by the stud c and is preferably provided with a pushbutton, M, upon its other end. The attachment to the bottom J is made centrally, (see Fig. 4,) so that only a short movement shall be necessary to operate said bottom,and is made, by means of the link K, so that no endwise movement of the lever shall be necessary in its operation. It also has a spring, N, attached insuch manner as to keep it always at the limit of its upward movement, and thus hold the trippingbottom in place against the ledge d", except when forced down by pressure on the button M, or otherwise.

The outside plate, 0, rests inside the rim of the plate 0 upon lugs 0 c e c, and is held in place by the screws 0 0 which pass through it and enter the lugs c c".

The checks 1? are preferably simply plain rectangular pieces of stiff paper or card-board, on which the information required by the system on which the business is conducted can be inscribed.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The salesman or cash-boy comes to the desk and drops a check or ticket upon which the amount of the sale is marked into the glasssided receivin g-chamber, with the side bearin g the inscription toward the cashier, at the same time laying down upon the desk or counter the money he has received in payment for the goods sold. The cashier can see at a glance the amount of the sale, and is enabled to make change (if change is required) without delay,

and then, by pressing on the button M, to opcrate the tripping-bottom and precipitate the check into the drawer or other receptacle beneath, from which (the key not being in his possession) he can remove nothing. All opportunity for dishonesty is thus removed, as the cash received must correspond with the amount indicated by the checks in the drawer B at the close of the days business, or whenever compared.

The construction of the frame-work and the manner of securin g it together, which has been described, is of great advantage over one made solid. By the removal of a few screws it can readily be taken apart, and can be as readily put together, and by inserting said screws again fastened in position. The glass sides may thus be removed for cleaning, when required,or replaced, if they should become broken, with but little trouble and at trifling expense. This construction also enables all the parts to be of metal or glass, and without the difficulties commonly attending the use of these materials in the way of fitting the parts together.

I prefer to locate my improved apparatus at the front side of the cashiers desk, so that it shall be directly between the salesman or cashboy and the cashier while being used, and to fasten it securely and permanently to the desk, the drawer being formed in said desk,beneath its top, as shown. As both sides of the receiving-chamber are transparent both parties can see that the check has dropped into place when the apparatus is in this position, and can also see when the receiving-chamber is empty and ready to receive another check or ticket.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cash-register consisting of a transparent-sided receivin g-ch amber,an inclosed space for the operating mechanism, a tripping bottom, and mechanism consisting of the lever L, link K, and spring N, for operating the same, said receiving-chamber and inclosed space being divided by a partition or plate, 0, through which a projecting pin from the end of said trippin g-bottom passes to connect with said operating mechanism, all substantially as shown and specified.

2. The combination of a receiving-chamber consisting of the frame-work O, D, E, and F, glass sides G and H, hopper I, and bottom J, a separate inclosed space for the mechanism consisting of the plates (3 and O, and an operating mechanism situated in said inclosed space by which the tripping-bottom is actuated, the whole, together with the checks therewith, forming a cash-register, and all constructed and operatingsubstantially as herein shown and set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 16th day of May, A. D. 1881.

YVILLIS C. VAJEN.

In presence of- O. BRADFORD, N. E. (3. WHITNEY. 

